Tedding-machine.



No. :$9,042. PATBNTBD JULY 2, 19o?.

REGGELMANN.

TBDDING MAGHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 10,1904.

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UNITED STATES PATENT Je EIFIQE..

TEDDING-MACHINE Specieation of Letters Patent.

Patented July 2 1907.

Application filed November 10, 1904. Serial No. 232,207.

teeth or the like arranged, with a certain degree of resilience, on guiding or carrying means somewhat in the manner of the chain of buckets in a dredgingor elevating-machine, or the like. As guiding or carrying means, endless-chains or the like may be used, to which the forks or tines are secured at intervals, for example by means of horizontal bars, which may be so disposed as to connect the chains. The latter may run in vertical or inclined direction over sprocketwheels mounted on two parallel shafts and driven by suitable means from the axle or traveling-wheels of the machine. Suitable gear is also provided for throwing the tedding-mechanism into and out of operation as required. The chains and forks or tines may be provided in any desired number and located both inside and outside the traveling-wheels. I also employ suitable gear, preferably operable from the drivers perch, whereby thetedding-gear may be raisedv or lowered when circumstances render this desirable.

By means of the new machine the hay is loosened turned or scattered in quite the same manner as this is effected by an ordinary hand-fork. For the lowermost tines or forks, that is, those which are for the time being operative, like the lowermost buckets of a chain, move with an accelerated circumferential velocity, and, owing to their resilient attachment to the carrying members, on striking the hay, vibrate, which motion very closely resembles the effect attained when an ordinary hand hay-fork is shaken.

In the well-known cylinder-tedders, the hay, especially when wet, frequently winds onto the drum. This is impossible in the present machine, which picks up and turns damp hay most effectively. By arranging tines or forks closely adjacent to the travelingwheels, and on each side thereof, hay which-is crushed down by the wheels can be lifted and turned equally with the looser lying hay which is another essential advantage of my machine over ordinary tedders.

The construction of the machine is exceedingly simple, so that no special skill is required to manage it.

One form of construction of the new machine is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation and Fig. 2 a rear elevation.

1 is the axle, 2 the traveling-wheels and 3 the frame ofthe machine. The projecting rear ends of the frame are provided with suitable bearings 4 to `receive shafts 5, 6. The latter carry a number of sprocket-wheels 10, the chains 7 of which carry the bars 9 provided with forks or tines 8.

For the chains lying between the wheels 2, I prefer to provide common bars 9 extending across from one wheel to the other, and to dispose the forks of one bar with certain lateral displacement relatively to those of the next, as shown in Fig. 2, but naturally I do not limit myself to such construction. There may, as already stated, be any desired number of sprocketwheels and forks. When a great width of machine is not desirable, the chain-gear beyond, or outside of the traveling-wheels 2 may, of course, be dispensed with. In general, it will be found advantageous to locate chains and forks in the immediate proximity of each side of the wheels 2, so that hay which is pressed downl by the latter may be effectually loosened and scattered.

The forks or tines may be of any desired form and secured in any suitable manner, but in any case the arrangement should be such as to admit of a certain amount of resilience. In the drawing tines are shown, the base 0f which is wound round in a more or less spiral manner, wherebyvery considerable elasticity is insured.

The motion ofthe wheels 2 may be transmitted to the tedding-apparatus by means of any suitable gearing. In the drawings a sprocket-wheel 11 is shown for this purpose, connected positively with the right traveling-wheel 2, and a chain 12 runs over the wheel 11 and a second sprocket-wheel 13, mounted on the shaft 5.

14, 14 are two clutch-halves, brought into coperation by the lever 15 actuated from the drivers seat 16, whereby the tedding-gear can be thrown into and out of operation as desired. Any other suitable clutch mechanism, other than that shown, may be employed.

For the purpose of enabling the tedding-apparatus t0 be adjusted vertically to suit the character ofthe land, or to clear the roadway, or obstacles lying thereon, when the machine is being driven from one field to another place of work, suitable gear should be provided. This may consist of a rod 17, the upper end of which is provided with a hand-Wheel 19 and works in a screw-socket or bracket 18 secured to the frame 3 near the drivers perch 16. The lower end of the rod 17 is jointed with capability of turning, to the shafts 20, jointed at 21 to the frame 3. If, then, the wheel 19 is turned to the right or left, the portion of the rod 17 located between the shaft 20 and frame 3 is shortened or lengthened. The shafts being held down in traveling, the frame 3 will therefore either be caused to approach the shafts, by turning about the axle 1 as center, the tedding gear being thus raised; or the frame 3 will move from the shafts, whereby the tedding-gear will be lowered. In order that the chain V1'2 may artvys be maintained ma state of tension, an arm 22 is jointed to the frame, having at its free end a grooved pu1ley'23 which bears lupon the chain 12 by gravity. Y y It must be clearly understood, that although '-I have F described in detail one particular construction of ms;-A g chineaeco'rdinglto luy invention, I do not in anyway l desire to limit myself to such constructional details, but i claim as newzl 'In a tedding-machine, `in combination, shafts mounted in the yijaa'chine fra'ine and `extending beyond the traveling Wheels, endless `traveling 'members carried therebygba'rs sefstntiaiiy as described.

I n witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name this 27th day of October 1904, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. y

HERMANN BGELMANN.

Witnesses:

H. ENDEPoLs, W. BRUCE WALLACE. 

